Dear Friend and Neighbor,

We hope you had a pleasant holiday season. The approach of summer means we must again ask for your financial support to keep your community volunteer fire department in business. Your support over the years is very much appreciated. More than half of our funding comes from local community donations. You will not receive any phone solicitations benefiting the volunteer fire department. We do not condone or participate in any type of “cold-call” marketing. All donations are 100% tax deductible and are put directly into operating and maintaining this department.

Over the past several months your donations have helped train a new generation of firefighters by supporting our intensive Florida Firefighter 1 training program. Our students have successfully completed the over 200 hours of required didactic and skills training, as well as receiving “live burn” training experience at the Wakulla County Volunteer Fire Departments' training facility. We greatly appreciate the assistance of Wakulla County with our new students and look forward to continuing our excellent working relationship with them.

Your financial help is critical in allowing us to maintain the level of professional service, fast response and technical proficiency you've come to expect from the Chaires-Capitola Volunteer Fire Department. The implementation of our newest fast attack and rescue vehicle has significantly improved our ability to save lives and protect property. However, there are still times when we don't always have the right tool for the job. Equipment designed to meet the strict, rugged requirements of safe vehicle crash rescue continue to demand a premium price. Your donations will be instrumental in allowing us to enhance our rescue capabilities with the addition of specialized rescue tools such as metal cutting air tools and vehicle supporting rescue air bags designed to quickly and safely support and extricate
the victim of a severe vehicle crash.

We’ve had the good fortune of welcoming several new members to the Department over the past year. If you are interested, please contact us at the phone number below. All the necessary basic training and personal protective equipment is provided free of charge. Becoming a volunteer firefighter with Chaires-Capitola VFD requires a nominal time commitment, offers the rewards of public service and the personal satisfaction of assisting community members in need. If you have any questions, ideas or concerns please call us at (850) 228-3146. We are often away from the business phone so leave a message and we will return your call. Thank you again and have a safe and enjoyable spring.

Sincerely,

Leonard Kinerson
President, Board of Directors

Robert Robertson
Chief

We all know that the winter cold can be dangerous. But turning up the heat to combat the chill can also be a fire risk if heating equipment is not properly used.

Heating equipment is the second-leading cause of home fires in the United States, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). On average, NFPA research shows that heating equipment is involved in more than 60,000 reported U.S. home fires per year. These fires result in more than 550 civilian deaths, more than 1,600 civilian injuries and roughly $900 million in direct property damage. Half the fires occur during the winter months. The most home heating fire deaths (79%), injuries (66%) and property damage (52%) involved stationary or portable space heaters, including wood stoves.

Chaires Capitola Volunteer Fire Department is urging all Tallahassee residents to